Phantom or Freak?
by TheSoulsDepths
Summary: Danny has been repressing his emotions and fears for too long. His worst thoughts are now no longer content sitting beneath the surface. Managing his double life of Fenton and Phantom has come at a cost. Jazz has noticed that something is wrong with her brother. Can she help him as he slowly breaks from the inside? Or is she too late to help? Danny and Jazz sibling story.One-shot.


**Title: Phantom or Freak?**

**One-shot**

**Original Work: **Danny Phantom (Animated Television Series)

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Depression, Emotional Issues (anxiety, stress, repression).

**Genres: **Angst, Hurt/Comfort and Family.

**Words: **1737

**Disclaimer (for entire work): **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author:** TheSoulsDepths

**Authors Note: **Please refer to the bottom of the page.

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><p>It was hard enough being Danny Fenton but trying to be Danny Phantom as well? Give him a break. Like it wasn't hard enough simply trying to be a(n unpopular) teenager. He didn't ask for this, for any of this. Being not quite boy, not quite ghost. In his lower moments, the words of that phony ghost counsellor, Spectra, still managed to ring in his head <em>'You're a freak!'<em>

Normally (not so normally, as of late), he would brush it off. Being what he was (and what was that exactly? A _frea_ – phantom, he was a phantom) enabled him to do things no one else could. It gave him cool powers (that he had trouble controlling), an unusual yet exciting life (that almost gets him killed each and every day) and enables him to protect people (people he wouldn't have to protect, if he had left the Ghost Portal alone, it was his fault, all his fault-that made it his responsibility). The last point was what made his job as a hero (some hero) the most challenging (challenging? Who was he kidding? It was gruelling).

Constantly, trying to keep everyone safe, friends, family, schoolmates, citizens…to be honest, it was…tiring (no, not tiring, draining, emotionally, physically, so, so, very draining, so much so that he thought, that he might one day might disappear altogeth-no, he was still here. The pain he felt from ghost fighting each day, was proof enough of that). Perhaps, he felt the most tired because he couldn't vent to anyone. There was Tucker and Sam his best friends (and what a lousy friend he was in return) but he didn't want them to see him so down, he put them through enough as it is (that's an understatement). And there was no way he could talk to his parents about it. Normal teenagers would be hesitant to talk to their parents (he's not normal and neither is his parents) but he didn't even have the option, not without revealing what he was, a (_frea_-phantom) ghost and that didn't bode well.

Anyway, who would want to listen to him if he did talk? Everyone had their own problems to deal with, he couldn't add to them, that would be selfish (maybe he was already selfish by keeping secrets) and if anything, he doesn't want to be the cause of any pain (but it didn't matter what he wanted, he's already been there, done that, hasn't he?).

So yeah, it wasn't easy managing his double life (it was a giant mess) but he managed (who knows how…).

As if in answer to his last conflicting thought, the door to Danny's room slid open, startling him into 'Going un-ghost' (idiot, he could have just gone invisible, he needed to start focusing) and revealed the form of his overprotective (at least she had the right, to want to protect someone, he doesn't get a right, only a responsibility) big sister, Jazz. Danny didn't know whether to be relived or annoyed. All he wanted was some time alone (but he was always alone wasn't he? He was the only halfa he knew-not counting Vlad-no one else knew what it was like being the in-between, the _frea_-phantom) however, he couldn't deny that having a distraction was welcome at the moment.

'Danny?'

Her voice, always so steady, yet oddly nurturing, was gentle and laced with sisterly concern. She was going to make a great psychologist one day, he could tell (even if he never got to be an astronaut, at least someone could follow their dream).

He felt his throat go dry as he tried to formulate a response but she was too quick.

'Danny, are you okay?'

Okay? No, he wasn't okay but he couldn't let her know that. He knew, that she had a big exam to study for, she'd been preparing notes all weekend. His throat started to feel sore, so he couldn't answer just yet. Instead, he tried giving a nod of his head. He succeeded.

Except, it was a shaky nod. His whole body was softly shaking. When had that started?

'Danny…I know you're feeling stressed lately, you left dinner quicker than usual…'

Her voice filtered through to his brain. The way she spoke was as if to a frightened animal, that she didn't want to scare off, it was soothing. But her words weren't. So, he hadn't been careful enough (when was he ever careful enough?) she had noticed him leaving dinner (he couldn't just sit there any longer). He had made her worry (he wasn't a good hero, a good friend, a good son, and now he wasn't even a good brother, he was a _frea_-phantom).

Trying a third time, he managed to speak, throat burning from the effort.

'So-rry, Jazz, I just could-couldn't fin-n-ish dinner, do-on't wo-rry about i-it'

It sounded pathetic even to his own ears, what was he doing? He couldn't even speak properly tonight! And now he felt an uncomfortable heat at the corners of his eyes, what was wrong with him? (There was always something wrong with him).

'Oh, Danny…'

Jazz, sounded upset, although her outline looked a little blurry, for some odd reason. He hated hearing people upset, it was his job to make sure people weren't upset (he wasn't good at his job) and it was horrible knowing that he was making Jazz, his own sister, feel that way. Perhaps that was why his eyesight had become blurry; he couldn't look at her, out of shame. He felt like he should apologise. No brother should make their sister upset.

As, he tried to speak once again; he felt an odd pressure rise in his chest, making him feel sick. Were his ghost powers acting up again? (He really was a _frea_-phantom). That would explain why he was feeling strange tonight.

'Ja-zz…I…I'm-'

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><p>He was cut off mid sentence before he could apologise. Jazz had leapt forward embracing Danny's shaking body, in a tight embrace, with her deft fingers wiping away the tears she saw streaming down his face.<p>

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><p>His body wasn't responding properly anymore, he wanted to push Jazz off and apologise for acting so weirdly, so she could go study. Yeah, his ghost powers were defiantly acting up; they had to be, what else would make him act as if he had no control over his body anymore? (he'd never had control, his body wasn't normal, he was a<em> frea<em>-phant-_FREAK_. HE WAS A FREAK).

'Danny, shh, it's okay… you are not a freak'

Those were the last words that he would be able to comprehend for a while. As if his last thoughts and his sister's presence were triggering an explosion, he felt like a dozen ghosts were blasting him in the stomach with ectoplasm. From that blast, he finally registered the wet feeling against his cheeks, the full on shaking of his limbs, the pain, stress, doubt and worry he had been trying to deny, while he internally tore himself apart and tried to put on a strong face. It all hit him at once. As his mind suddenly registered what his body had already been feeling, which he had been unconsciously blocking, he fully lost control of his actions. No longer even able to pretend his was okay, not only to Jazz but also mainly to himself, he released the emotions, that he had so fiercely kept bottled up for so long. There was nothing ghostly about this, no supernatural interference. These emotions were purely human.

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><p>He was full on sobbing now, Jazz looked in Danny's tear filled eyes, wanting to cry herself. Her baby brother had just called himself a freak. Albeit, he was mumbling but she didn't expect much else from Danny's current condition. She had known something was wrong. Danny's behaviour recently, proved that. He was quieter than usual, more distant, and more rebellious against her assistance with ghost hunting, not only for her but for Tucker and Sam as well. All of her psychological knowledge had been firing off warning signals every time she saw the false grin on her brother's face. She had not quite been expecting a reaction of this magnitude but she had known it was coming. Danny placed far too much pressure on himself and even with supernatural abilities, his self-esteem was far too low and his hero-complex far too large. He was only a 14-year-old boy. Her little brother (who was most certainly <em>NOT<em> a freak).

That came before he was a Fenton or a Phantom, in her mind. He was her little brother. Who was crying. In her arms. Incoherently. But perhaps not inconsolably. Clearly, he had been forced through too much and was now turning his problems, not against his family or friends but against himself. It truly hurt Jazz to see Danny in such obvious emotional pain. She held him gently but also firmly enough so that he could be sure of her presence. She rubbed his back and pushed his dark hair out of his face.

Silently kneeling on the carpeted floor, she gave support in the only way she currently could as he (Danny, her brother, her little brother) gasped out horrible phrases like 'not a hero' (Yes, he is, he's able to save so many people), 'not a friend' (that's not true, he is a true friend to those he can trust), 'not a son' (even if Mum and Dad don't know, they still love him), 'not a brother' (LIE, he's a brother, Jazz Fenton's only and beloved baby brother), 'not a boy or a ghost' (that doesn't matter, it's what made him special) and most frequently 'freak' (he's not, he absolutely is not, regardless of what other's might say, she knew better) between sobs .

After Danny had recovered, she was going to ensure that they had a talk. That was her original intention upon coming up here; obviously she had been too late.

However, while Jazz might not be Danny Phantom or Jack or Maddie Fenton she was a big sister, who knew how to hunt ghosts. And she promised herself then and there, after almost a quarter of an hour, as his tears began to slow and breathing slowly evened out, eyes fluttering asleep from exhaustion, that she was going to hunt down and destroy each and every 'ghost' that plagued Danny's mind. Nothing and no one was allowed to hurt her little brother.

Not even himself.

THE END.

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><p><strong>Authors Note:<strong> One of the things I loved most about the show Danny Phantom was the bond between Danny and Jazz. It showed a lovely brother-sister relationship, each of them always trying to protect the other. When writing this I originally wanted it to be about Danny finally opening up enough to share his problems with Jazz (there aren't enough Jazz and Danny sibling stories out there). However, once I started I thought about just how much pressure Danny must feel on a day-to-day basis and being the 'hero', how he wouldn't really be able to share his feelings, without thinking as if he were burdening others. In the show, we see that Danny's character isn't perfect and that he goes through a lot. I wanted to show how stress and anxiety can truly affect a person as well. I hope you were able to understand the flow of the story, my apologies if it didn't work out how I planned. Basically, it is meant to be that Danny has been locking away his emotions for so long, that his mind is filled with thoughts that he can't quite repress but then ignores once he thinks them*. This is why he can't really 'feel' or comprehend his physical reactions as he tries to talk with Jazz. The entire 'Freak' line of thinking is a compounding of all of these thoughts, which is why Danny's thinking is centred on it but then automatically tries to redirect himself with 'Phantom'. Jazz then comes in and has her own thoughts** about the situation as she tries to comfort Danny. Also, this is intended to be a one-shot. However, I can see it possibly becoming a two-shot, more from Jazz's point of view as she tries to help Danny work through this. What do you think?

*Shown in the parentheses

**Shown by the break lines, which switch form Danny's to Jazz's POV, Jazz's inner most thoughts are also shown by parentheses.

**Finally, thank you for reading! Please review and give feedback. ****Remember, constructive criticism is appreciated, while aggression/flaming is not. **


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